Machine for producing wet adhesive tape strips



June 8, 1937. A. 1..'cLEMEN'rs Er A1. 2,083,219

MACHINE FOR PRODUCING WET ADHESIVE TAPE S'TRIPS Filed Nov. 27, 1955 65 @del 50 v i Qq r /2/ 1,6 fr

Patented June 8, 1937 UNlTED STATES PATENT sies MACHINE FOR PRODUCING WET ADHE`-` SIVE TAPE STRIPS Arthur L. Clements and Norman R. Easter,

Evanston, Ill., assignorsto Dry-Zero Corporal tion, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application November 27, 1935, Serial No. 51,811

3 Claims.

l 5 particularly, the machine of our present invention is especially designed for the use of silicate of soda as adhesive material, which has particularly advantageous characteristics as compared to adhesive'gums, but which has heretofore been extremely diicult to handle in adhesive-applying machinery. Various machines have heretofore been developed for applying adhesive to strips, tape or sheets, but so far as we are aware, they have all operated on the principle of pulling ,the Wet tape through the adhesive-applying mechanism by means of drag rolls or similar devices. As a result, particularly notable with silicate of soda, the adhesivetends to build up on the pulling means, requiring frequent Vshut-downs Afor cleaning the machine, and at the same time adversely allecting the illmuof adhesive.

In carrying out our invention, we have provided an improved form of machine and method oi operating the same whereby successive strips of paper or similar fabric may, at the will of the operator, be fed to a wet adhesive-applying mechanism, and be automatically cut oi in predetermined lengths, Veach successive strip portion being propelled or shot with sufiicient force to carry it through the adhesive-applying mechanism and delivered in wet condition to the hand of the operator ready `for immediate application as required. The automatic cut-off mechanism is arranged to sever each individual strip as it passes through the adhesive-applying mechanism, but the arrangement is such that the strip, after being severed from the propelling mechanism, will complete its movement through the adhesive-applying mechanism and be delivered to the hand of the operator without the assistance of any pulling mechanism.

We 'also provide means for readily adjusting the length of successive strips to be delivered from the machine.

Other objects and novel features of the invention will appear from time to time as the following ldescription proceeds: l

The invention may best be understood by refv.erence to the accompanying drawing, in which the single gure illustrates in diagrammatic form a machine embodying our invention.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of our invention illustrated in the drawing, the machine consists primarily of two main elements,

namely, an intermittent tape feeding device indi- Y cated generally by the numeral Ill, and an adhesive-applying mechanism indicated generally by the numeralA II.

The tape-shooting device shown herein conssts of a tape driving roller l5 on shaft I6 driven by pinion I'I, meshed with an internal gear I8 of wheel I9. Said wheel has a ratchet member carried therewith, and said wheel with its ratchety are loosely mounted on a shaft 2l. An operating lever arm-22 is also loosely kmounted onv the shaft ZI and carries a spring-pressed pawl 23 adapted toengagethefratchet 20 carried by the wheel I9 so as to rotate saidwheel when the lever 22 is moved in a clockwise direction. 1 Said Vpawl and ratchet thus form, in effect, a one-way overrunning clutch. ll-compression roller- I is mounted opposite to the feed roller I5 so as to grip the strip of paper I3 therebetween. The paper strip I3 is supplied from a roll i3a suitably mounted on the frame I2 and passing over straightening rollers I3b and I3c to the feed roller I5.

It willbe understood that the parts of the tapeshooting mechanism above-described are similar to those heretofore'usedin -hand-operated tapeshooting .devices for; supplying strips of tape already treated withdry adhesive, but such tapeshooting machines are usually actuated by i manual operation of the lever 22. We do not,

therefore," claimany novelty inthe tape-shooting machine per se, but only in combination with other parts of the machine whereby novel results are attained, as will presently be described@ Referring now to the power actuated drive means, we provide a motor 25 mounted' on the Aframe I2 and connected to a drive shaft 26 through suitable gear reduction mechanism, such as a plurality of' sprockets or pulleys 21, 28, 29,

39,' 3|, and 32, e'ach'successivc-zpair of sprockets or pulleys being connected by chains or belts 21a, 29a,and3l.""'

An eccentric is also mounted on the shaft 26 and is adapted to be intermittently connected to the shaft 2B 'by means of a single revolution clutch indicated generally at3fa`, which clutch may be of any suitable construction, and controlledl through a trip lever 31 extending in a position to'be actuated by the operator. In the form shown, the trip lever 31 has -a foot pedal 3lab projectingat the front of the machine near its base.

The eccentric 35 is connected by link 38 to alever 39 pivoted tothe frame at 39a and extending in a generally horizontal position toward the front of the machine. The forward end of the lever 39 is connected to the arm 22 of the tape-shooting device by a link 40. Means for adjusting the length of the severed tape sections is afforded by providing a series of holes 38ab in the lever 39, in which holes the eccentric link 3B may be selectively connected. This adjustment controls the arc of movement of the lever 22, and affords considerable variation in the throw of the tapeshooting mechanism, so as to produce tape sections of different lengths, as desired.

The single revolution clutch 36 includes a driven member 4l which carries thereon a boss 42 adapted to engage and depress a bar 43 at a predetermined point of revolution. Said bar 43 is pivoted at one end on pin 44. The outer or free end of said bar is connected by an upwardly extending link 45 to a knife 46 movable in an upright guide 41 across the path of the tape I3 as it is fed from the tape-shooting device through upper and lower guide members 48 and 49. Said boss 42 is so positioned on said member 4l that it depresses said bar 43 and so actuates said knife 46, substantially at the end of the movement of said described tape-shooting device.

Referring now to details of the adhesive-applying mechanism, the same includes a roller 56 mounted above an adhesive receptacle 5| at the front of the frame l2 and having means for supplying adhesive thereto as by an intermediate feed roll 52 having its lower portion adapted to rotate in the adhesive 53 of the receptacle 5| and arranged to contact the under surface of the applying roll 50. In the preferred form shown, both the adhesive-applying roll 50 and the feed roll 52 are driven by power, as through sprockets or pulleys 5i)a and 52a and chains or belts 54 and 55 suitably connected to the motor 25 as by a sprocket or pulley 56 connected to the intermediate drive member 28 heretofore described as part of the drive connection to the tape-shooting drive mechanism 26. Suitable guide means for the tape is provided for leading the tape directly from the cutting knife 46 to the adhesive-applying roll 5U, herein consisting of an upper guide 58 and a lower guide 59. As the leading edge of each successive strip is propelled through these guides, it passes beneath a light floating roller 60. The forward end of the lower guide 59 is curved upwardly beyond the last named roller so as to direct the tape in a plane generally tangential to the surface of the adhesive-applying roll 50 and beneath afloating presser 6|. When the leading edge of the strip touches the rapidly revolving adhesive roll 56, the strip comes in contact with the adhesive on said roll and tends to follow the curvature of the latter until peeled off by one or more stripper fingers 62. Said strippers are provided with knife edges so as to prevent any disturbance of the film of adhesive applied to the under surface of the strip. l

Having described the several parts of the machine together with their drive connections, the essential features whereby proper coaction of the parts is obtained may now be pointed out. It will be observed that the speed of the feed roll I5 of the tape-shooting mechanism is given rapid acceleration through the quick-throw lever 22 and the internal gear wheel I1 so that the strip is propelled from the tape-shooting mechanism at a relatively high speed, and with considerable impetus toward the adhesive-applying roll 56.

The roll 59 is constantly driven at a peripheral speed which is slightly less than the maximum speed of the feed roll l5. Consequently, the

` speed of movement of the tape will be somewhat retarded as it passes over the adhesive-applying roll, particularly when the feed roll reaches its maximum speed. It will be noted, however, that the guides 56 and 59 beyond the cut-off knife 56 are spaced apart and are also flared at their opening ends so as to permit the strip to crumple or corrugate longitudinally an amount sufficient to compensate for the momentary greater speed of the feed roll.

The operation of the cut-off knife 46 is timed by positioning the pin 42 on clutch member 4I so as to actuate the knife at the instant before the forward motion of the tape ceases. This action permits the last portion of each tape section to continue its movement at substantially uniform speed over the adhesive-applying roll. If cut oif too soon, the following portion of the tape will tend to jam against the knife, while if not cut off soon enough, the movement of the tape over the adhesive roll may tend to be retarded so as to affect the even distribution of adhesive on the strip.

The adhesive roll is particularly effective in continuing the forward movement of each strip after it has been out off by the knife 45. The arrangement is such, therefore, that the adhesive roll 50 serves to stabilize the movement of each strip through the adhesive-applying mechanism at a substantially constant speed so as to produce an adhesive film of uniform thickness thereon.

Although we have illustrated and described one -particular embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that we do not Wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as dened in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. In a device of the character described, the combination of an adhesive-applying roll and means for supplying liquid adhesive to the surface thereof, a tape-shooting device including a feed roll adjacent said adhesive-applying roll, means for driving said adhesive roll at substantially uniform speed, and means for intermittently driving said feed roll at a peripheral speed slightly greater than the adhesive roll including a quick-throw lever and a one-way clutch, and cut-off means interposed between said tape-shooting device and said adhesive roll operated in timed relation with said tape-shooting device to sever a tape strip fed by the latter in vpredetermined. lengths.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of an adhesive-applying roll and means for supplying liquid adhesive to the surface thereof, a tape-shooting device including a feed roll adjacent said adhesive-applying roll, means for driving said adhesive roll at substantially uniform speed, means for intermittently driving said feed roll at a peripheral speed slightly greater than the adhesive roll, cut-off means operated in timed relation with said tape-shoot- Ving device for severing a tape strip fed by the latter in predetermined lengths, guide means arranged to lead a tape strip under propulsion from said tape-shooting device to said adhesiveapplying roll, said guide means beyond said cutoff means being arranged to permit limited crumpling of the tape to compensate for momentary excess of speed of said tape propelled from said tape-shooting device over the peripheral speed of the adhesive-applying roll.

3; In a device of the character described. the

combination of an adhesive-applying roll andV means for supplying liquid adhesive to the sur- 1 face thereof, a tape shooting device adjacent said driving connections between said motor and said feed roll including a single revolution clutch and means for engaging said clutch at the will of the operator, cut-off means operated in timed relation with said single revolution clutch for severing a tape strip at the completion of each successive operation of said feed roll, said drive connections for said feed roll also including a lever interposed between said feed roll and said single revolution clutch, and means for adjusting at will the effective length of said lever so as to vary the lengths of tape strips fed by said feed roll.

ARTHUR L. CLEMENTS.

NORMAN R. EASTER. 

